1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a system for extracting magnetic recording tape from a tape cartridge, particularly a single-reel tape cartridge, for engagement with a take-up reel, particularly a take-up reel in a tape drive.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of cartridges or cassettes for magnetic recording tape are known, which are inserted into a tape drive for reading information from, or writing information on, the magnetic recording tape. Single-reel tape cartridges are known which contain only one reel, on which the magnetic recording tape is wound. When such a single-reel cartridge is inserted into a tape drive, a reel or hub in the tape drive serves as the take-up reel. The take-up reel in the tape drive is driven by a motor in the tape drive. The tape from the single reel in the tape cartridge must be extracted from the tape cartridge and threaded to the take-up reel, so that the magnetic recording tape is then wound and unwound between these two reels.
It is known to provide the tape on the single-reel in such a cartridge with a leader pin at the free end thereof, the pin being connected in a suitable manner to the recording tape so that the longitudinal axis of the pin is parallel to the transverse direction of the magnetic recording tape, i.e., the direction perpendicular to the direction along which tape transfer will ensue between that reel and the take-up reel in the drive. Such a pin has opposite (upper and lower) ends which project slightly beyond the width of the recording tape, and which are received in respective recesses in the top and bottom of the cartridge, so that the pin is accessible at an access opening in the cartridge.
Various types of extraction and gripping mechanisms are known which engage the free end of the recording tape at the aforementioned pin, and pull the pin and the recording tape connected thereto into the drive for engagement with the take-up reel. The reliability of such extraction systems is critical to the proper operation of the tape drive, since data are recorded on or read from the recording tape in parallel tracks proceeding parallel to the aforementioned transfer direction. In order to record as much data as possible on the finite area of the recording tape, these data tracks are packed extremely closely together, and therefore accurate threading on the take-up reel is important so that the threaded tape, when wound and unwound between the two reels, will cause the data rows to proceed as straightly as possible between the reel and the cartridge and the take-up reel. Even though the read/write head will usually be equipped with a head positioning arrangement to accurately position the read or write transducer relative to a designated data track, misalignment of the tape between the two reels can still be a source of error in the overall data transfer process.